First Love 初恋 | 小樽天狗山 Otaru Tenguyama — The View Their Youth Kept

Before adulthood separates them, 野口也英 Noguchi Yae and 並木晴道 Namiki Harumichi come to 小樽天狗山 Otaru Tenguyama as high-school students. The official First Love 初恋 location map identifies the mountain visit, and the summit view explains why it survives so vividly in the drama’s memory: Otaru’s streets, harbor, and Ishikari Bay spread below like a future that still appears open. Netflix released the series on 24 November 2022, weaving the pair’s 1990s youth through their later lives. Tenguyama gives that structure a landscape. The ropeway’s ascent physically lifts visitors out of the city, while the summit restores the broad horizon associated with Yae and Harumichi’s younger selves. It is less a single prop-perfect frame than a place whose height and distance preserve the feeling of their first love. The summit is a managed visitor area reached by ropeway or seasonal road. Operations, fares, and access can change with wind, snow, maintenance, and season, so check the official Otaru Tenguyama schedule before setting out. Remain on marked decks and paths, respect closures, and keep clear of working ropeway areas. Filming references: Sapporo Film Commission’s official location map and Otaru Film Commission’s First Love notice. Visitor reference: Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway official site. Photo: 皓月旗, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.